Melissa &amp; Chris Bruntlett

1 Oct 2025

The wait is FINALLY over! Our new book “Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation” is NOW AVAILABLE worldwide through RIBA Publishing wherever fine books are sold. From Paris to Bogota, from Manila to Montreal—when women lead, cities thrive: www.modacitylife.com/women-changi...

“Having high-speed rail is now seen as a requirement of 21st-century nationhood. With cars being problematic in so many ways, high-speed trains seem to have been blessed with good great fortune: they are beautiful, fast, elegant, modern and environmentally friendlier." @christianwolmar.bsky.social

A train journey does not begin or end at the station platform. Convenient bike parking and easy access to the railway system are essential elements of a transport network that enables people to travel seamlessly from door-to-door.🧵

There’s a distinctly Dutch influence here, too: from the expertise of Netherlands-based bike parking specialist VelopA to the underlying principle that cycling and public transport are complementary parts of an integrated mobility system.

If you want more people on trains, make it easier for them to arrive by bike. And if you want more people on bikes, make it easier for them to arrive at the train station. A virtuous circle of sustainable transport that makes everyone richer.🔚

Opened in 2022, Salisbury Station’s Cycle Hub provides 74 bike parking spaces for a modest £360,000 investment, delivered through a partnership between South Western Railway, the Department for Transport, and Wiltshire Council.

After a speaking engagement in the capital on Thursday evening, we spent the rest of the weekend in the southwest of England—the highlight of which was a sunny Sunday stroll through Salisbury. It was a great chance to slow down, stretch our legs, and soak up the character of a historic market town.🧵

Maybe the most encouraging sight was the diversity of people enjoying these spaces. Young children on foot, older adults taking a stroll, families out together; all ages and abilities moving about at their own terms. No particular level of fitness required, just public space that welcomes everybody.

A sunny Sunday stroll might seem like a small thing. But imagine if every town made it this easy, welcoming, and joyful to spend time outside. A few thoughtful changes that reclaim the streets and provide the simple pleasure of being out in the world together. That’s a future worth walking towards.🔚

What made the experience particularly memorable was observing how Salisbury is reimagining some of its public spaces. Recent pedestrianisation efforts and low-traffic interventions have given residents more room to walk, linger, chat, shop, and simply enjoy being in the heart of their own community.

These changes haven’t come without controversy. As in many cities, entrepreneurs initially opposed the loss of car access, fearing it would hurt trade. Yet over time, many have come to embrace it; recognising the potential of more attractive streets to draw visitors and create a more vibrant centre.

Since 2016, London’s cycling network has grown fivefold, from 90 to 450 kilometres. The results? 1.5 million daily cycle journeys—a 43% increase since 2019—twice as many bikes as cars on City of London streets during the day, and motor traffic in steady decline—having fallen 25% in the same period.

After a recent bout of online vitriol, we were genuinely moved by the overwhelming kindness, encouragement and solidarity that followed. To all the people who took the time to reach out with a kind word of support: thank you. We’ll keep doing what we do. And now, we’ve got the T-shirts to prove it.

Electric assist cycles give people choice. My "new" refurbished e-bike from JobRad Loop has made trips I used to avoid possible. Get €50 off a refurbished bike of your choice at jobrad-loop.com/en-nl with promo code: modacitylife50 Thanks for collaborating JobRad Loop and for the new adventures!

A lot changes as we age, most notably our ability to move throughout our communities. As we look for ways to support seniors' ongoing participation in daily life, how can we help more people age actively, safely, and with dignity? Read the full post: modacitycreative.com/2026/10/20/c...

The fietsvlonder (bike platform) has been reshaping Rotterdam streets for a decade. It swaps one car parking space for a temporary structure that accommodates a dozen bicycles. If deemed successful after a few months, the curb is permanently rebuilt, and the platform moves on to the next location.

“The mobility transition’s biggest obstacle is not a lack of support, but a misunderstanding of how much support there actually is. Politicians must stop blindly accepting the loudest voices and focus on what the silent majority wants: a city where the car isn’t the norm, but one of many options.“

Marco Te Brömmelstroet and Ian Walker quoted in the new book written by former Rotterdam Chief Planner Martin Aarts from NAi010 Publishers: www.nai010.com/product/the-...

“The bicycle is the tool, not the goal.” The goal is healthier people, happier communities, more liveable cities, and the freedom to get where you need to go without relying on a car. The bike just happens to be one of the most powerful tools to get there. LISTEN: micromobility.io/news/how-the...

Bike infrastructure can strengthen bonds between kids and caregivers, foster curiosity about the world and connect families to their neighborhoods. Everyday moments that won't show up in traffic models but are just as valuable—helping children develop, relationships flourish and communities thrive.

Last week Melissa participated in a 3-day Child Standard Seminar. She returned home with new ideas and a desire to challenge colleagues to consider if their inclusive approaches include the needs of children for safety, curiousity and fun. Read her reflection: modacitycreative.com/2026/10/13/s...

@micromobilityco.bsky.social

What can the world learn from a century of Dutch experience connecting bikes and trains? Quite a lot, as it turns out. If we want to understand the future potential of bike-train intermodality to make cities more liveable, accessible and prosperous, we must first understand its past: bit.ly/4hUIJoN

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett reposted

Micromobility

How did the Netherlands become the cycling capital of the world? Chris Bruntlett of the Dutch Cycling Embassy shares lessons on safer streets, connected bike networks, & building cities for people, not just cars Discover how decades of change reshaped Dutch cities micromobility.io/news/how-the...

micromobility.ioHow the Netherlands Became the Cycling Capital of the WorldHow did the Netherlands become the world's cycling capital? Chris Bruntlett of the Dutch Cycling Embassy joins the Micromobility Podcast to explore the history, policies, and infrastructure behind Dut...

“Infrastructure is important for creating safe, connected, cohesive networks, but we also need to help push culture along by showing what’s possible.” Listen to my full conversation on whether UK cities can become cycling friendly: www.ube.ac.uk/podcasts/ep2...

Run in partnership with Belgian railways, Blue-bike is a national shared bike system with 4,000 (e-)bikes across 300 locations. This year it expanded its offering with an e-cargo bike at 34 locations; making it easier to haul groceries, ferry kids, or tackle everyday journeys that might need a car.

In 2016, Leuven made a bold decision: instead of trying to accommodate ever-increasing car traffic, it would change the rules of the road entirely. A decade later, the Dutch-inspired traffic circulation plan has drastically improved the city’s accessibility, liveability and quality of public space.🧵

Leuven offers an important takeaway for cities struggling with motor dominance. Building cycling infrastructure matters, but the wider organisation of traffic matters just as much. A network of bike routes cannot reach its full potential if streets remain choked with drivers using them as shortcuts.

The main lesson from Leuven is that cities don't necessarily need more road capacity to improve accessibility. Sometimes, they need to change who gets to use their streets, and for what purpose. After all, making a city easier to move through does not have to mean making it easier to drive through.🔚

The changes extended beyond numbers. Fewer cars meant a more pleasant environment for walking and cycling, as well as an improvement in air quality. The reallocation of public space helped reinforce a broader ambition to make the city a place to pass time, rather than simply a place to pass through.

Over time, the circulation plan became an increasingly accepted part of Leuven's landscape, demonstrating resistance rarely lasts. When people experience the benefits of quieter and more inviting streets, the debate can shift from what has been taken from drivers to what has been gained by everyone.

Like many attempts to reclaim streets, the scheme wasn't universally embraced; provoking opposition from critics concerned about congestion, convenience and economic impact. The concept of changing familiar routes proved controversial, and officials had to defend their differing vision for mobility.

Leuven held its course, and the results provided a powerful riposte. From 2016 to 2019, cycling grew 44%, bus usage 18%, while car traffic dropped 19%. The total number of visitors remained stable, proving that curbing traffic hadn't reduced access. Instead, people chose different ways to get there.

The city was divided into five sectors and a pedestrian zone. Drivers could reach destinations, but moving between neighbouring zones was prohibited. Instead, they had to return to the ring road to reach another sector. Cyclists and buses meanwhile, retained the freedom to travel through the centre.

The idea was simple but radical: remove unnecessary through traffic, not access to the city itself. By filtering certain streets and changing direction on others, Leuven made it harder to use the centre as a shortcut. In doing so, it created more space for walking, cycling, shopping and socialising.

Leuven might be the best cycling city you’ve never heard of. 37% of trips are by bike; not by accident, but by years of rethinking streets, reducing car dominance and recirculating traffic. While the large capitals attract most headlines, Leuven is another example of a small city making big moves.

One of the key lessons from Dutch cycling history is cities didn't start with protected lanes. They began by making streets safer, calmer and more inviting; with lower speeds, parking restrictions, traffic filters and reduced through-traffic to create an environment in which cycling could flourish.🧵

The better approach is to create the conditions for cycling first: build demand; then invest in high-end infrastructure where the numbers justify. Not every street needs a protected lane, and sometimes the most important intervention is just a street where cars have been slowed, filtered or removed.

Therefore, the main takeaway from the Netherlands shouldn’t be to just build more bike lanes. It should be to make the act of getting on a bike easy at first, and let the network grow from there. As Dutch planners learned long ago, the most important part of your bike plan is actually the car plan.🔚

Yet planners elsewhere often reverse this sequence: building segregated lanes assuming people will use them and support will follow. When those lanes are expensive, disruptive, isolated or lightly used, they become easy targets for opposition; creating a vicious circle of low ridership and support.

Cyclists in the Netherlands take 300 million day trips and 5.85 million overnight trips per year, generating €3.6 billion for the economy and supporting 39,000 full-time jobs. Across Europe, cycle tourism accounted for 28% of the bike industry’s total economic and employment impact. bit.ly/47Gy7VU

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett reposted

Dutch Cycling Embassy

@dutchcycling.nl

🚲 From Osaka to Utrecht: exploring people-centred streets 🇯🇵 🇳🇱 From the 30th September to the 2nd of October, we welcomed a delegation of civil servants, academics and business leaders from Osaka for an intensive study visit to the Netherlands. Read more about the visit here: buff.ly/PGFPg89

After years of waiting, TU Delft is finally on the (tram) map. Yesterday, tram 19 reached the campus, and what a multimodal scene: trams, cycling, walking and green—all sharing the same car-free corridor. This is what a well-connected university looks like: making the right choice the easy choice.

On October 22, we'll be joining experts from across Europe for a special @londoncycling.bsky.social event. Our contribution will spotlight the often-overlooked women whose activism, advocacy, policymaking and leadership helped shape the Netherlands into a cycling nation. lcc.org.uk/events/lcc-a...